In this game, his vision had to be close to perfect, and his motor skills had to be flawless. With one oversight, in an instant, everything would fall apart.
There was no room for mistakes.
However, the only chance to win was to take risks and hope it would pay off. Nonetheless, one could only desire to have the mastery, the courage, and the luck to come out of this alive.
Honestly, life was always in the balance in this line of sports.
"Are you sure you are up for one more race?" Joe asked when he told him he wanted the car ready again in an hour. "That would be your third run."
He could not blame his friend for asking that. One to two races was more than enough for him to feel satisfied to feed his hunger for speed.
But not today. Liam needed one more. He needed something to clear his mind. He guessed he needed something more challenging to distract him from his thoughts.
"Yes. Just ready the car while I make some calls." He informed his friend, who had been handling the maintenance and upkeep of his cars.
"Are you training for something or just running away from something?" Joe joked around, shaking his head in question. But he could tell that his words had a warning in them.
Joe had been working with him for years, traveling wherever he went. He had been his friend for a long time. He could easily read him when he just wanted to enjoy the ride or if he was expelling some demon in his mind.
Joe worries when the latter was the reason he was burning his rubbers at speed enough to make records. It was not only reckless but dangerous.
"Does it matter?" He asked, not wanting to answer the question. Besides, his friend knew he had never trained for a competition for a long time, not particularly interested in vying for the glory.
Still, it was not the competition he aimed for, not the crown he wanted on his head. This game was child's play in what he had in his mind.
He left his friend to deal with the car as he returned to the locker room to refresh, rehydrate and make those phone calls.
"Hey, that was a good run." One of the drivers he raced with earlier tapped him on the back, congratulating him for winning the second race.
"Thanks, you were great, too." He might not be from around here, but he had made some friends during the time that he still joined the races. He did make a small name for himself before he decided to quit.
As soon as he reached his locker, he took his phone and checked his calls and messages. "Ok." Scanning them one by one.
It was fewer than usual since it was a Sunday. But some were essential calls and messages he had to respond to soon, while the others could wait till the next day.
But one caught his attention, a message that came from Eli. She did have several missed calls from her, but he initially intended to call her later, thinking it might just be a follow-up from the earlier meeting.
However, when he saw the heading on the message, he was surprised. It had nothing to do with business at all.
I HEARD THAT COUNT JULIUS HAD ARRIVED THIS MORNING, BOARDED IN HIS PRIVATE JET.
I STILL HAVE NO WORD OF HIS WHEREABOUTS.
That was a big surprise since he had never heard of his grandfather's plan to visit him. He remembered talking to him last night, but his grandfather never mentioned anything about this trip.
Then, he remembered something about their conversation.
"Did you find her? How is she?" His grandfather asked him during the call.
"I am sorry, Grandpapa, but I don't think she is here. Maybe our intel was wrong about finding her in this place." Liam never liked lying to him, but he did not see the point of associating his grandfather with this woman.
If he had his way, he would have gotten rid of her from his business, too. But at the moment, he was stuck with her. Although, he was waiting for her to fumble big time so he could eventually fire her.
Moreover, he believed this whim of his grandfather to reunite this woman with his father was just a waste of time since she seemed uninterested in her past.
"That is a shame." The Count answered, sounding a little disgruntled. "I thought you might have found her by now."
He never liked to disappoint his grandfather, but he had to make decisions that he felt would serve the best interest of their family. In this case, not to involve themselves with this woman any further.
But he never thought his plan would backfire on him, learning that his grandfather rushed flying here to look for her. If he had found her that easily, he believed his grandfather might be knocking on her door right now.
"Where do you think he is now?" He finally called Eli, checking if she had updates. "I have to see him."
He still had to know where his grandfather was now or what was his plans. He was old, and he worried about his condition. He should not be running around the city looking for her.
"I heard something about the Bronx, but I will know, for sure, from our investigator once their full report comes in," Eli answered her. "Do you want me to come with you?" She immediately offered.
"No need. Enjoy your rest. But text me the exact address as soon as you have it." Liam told her before hanging up the phone.
He immediately told Joe to pack up. He was canceling the rest of his plans to find his grandfather. But if his instinct was correct, he knew where exactly he would find him.
Quickly, he changed his clothes and marched into his car. Then, he was back on the road, on his way to a place he thought he would never see again.
"Answer your phone." He called his grandfather, but it kept going to voicemail. Even the line of his grandfather's assistant was unreachable.
He just had to find his grandfather on his own. How hard could it be to spot an old, stubborn man with several guards following him around? Not very hard, so it would appear.
He stopped on the other side of the street, seeing several identical cars carrying their crest on a small flag. They were still a few blocks from where he thought he would find him.
"What are you doing, Grandpapa?" He mumbled to himself, trying to figure out what was going through the Count's mind.
This building was not Luisa's place. What was his grandfather doing in a Shelter, seeing the large banner on the front door? Was he sponsoring some fundraising he did not know? But that was not likely.
He immediately exited his car and crossed the street, just in time to see his grandfather emerge from the open doors with people following close to him.
"Liam!" His grandfather immediately saw him as he neared his position, seeing the people thanking him for his donation. Then, his grandfather must have randomly stopped in this place to hand his assistance.
"Grandpapa." He greeted back. "You should have told me that you were coming to visit." At least his grandfather had not seen Luisa yet. That was what he thought.
Until.
"Sir Julius." A familiar voice came rushing outside the door. "You left this inside." The woman he did not like to see at this moment came out, carrying his grandfather's cane.